Happy Anniversary Witch School!

Today, September 4th, Witch School International turns a magickal 13 years old! We are very excited to be celebrating this milestone with all of you, as we continue our commitment to a lifetime of learning and education. Thank you for all that you have done to contribute to this occasion with your support, communication, and input.

Our Supporting Members have provided an investment in education at Witch School over this time, and we wouldn't be able to give you with the quality you expect from our classes without them. We are now pioneering intensive, interactive classes that will take your learning experience to the next level. These courses have practical applications where you, the student, can learn, in real-time, to create an athame and bind your own Book of Shadows. If you would like to join the group of people who provide the support to push our Vision of Pagan and Wiccan education to the next level, please follow the link to become a Supporting Member. http://www.classes.witchschool.com/payment.asp

Along with breaking ground on new and improved ways to bring you the education you need, we are revamping our existing courses. We are very pleased and excited to announce that Rev. Don Lewis, author of Witch School International's Degree Programs, has completed a series of videos that chronicle the Exercises from the First Degree Lessons. A huge thank you to Rev. Don and all the people who made the videos possible! These videos are ready to be uploaded and will be added to the First Degree course work soon.

And now a few words from the Chancellor of the Correllian Tradition, without whom neither the School nor the Tradition would be where it is today. He is a man we have a great respect for, Rev. Don Lewis.

The Fourth of September is always a big day for me. It is Correllian Founding Day, and also Witch School's anniversary. This makes it a day for reflection on the past and consideration of the future.

This year is Witch School's thirteenth anniversary, and that is a bit of a milestone. Thirteen is a magical number, indicating the passing of one cycle and the beginning of the next. For some, the number thirteen inspires fear. For me it inspires hope, for it represents change, and growth, and survival.

This year I have two main changes to reflect upon. The first is the change in leadership at Witch School. Thirteen years ago Ed Hubbard, Lisa Tuit, and I founded the School and what an amazing adventure that opened. Today however, a younger generation has emerged to take the lead at Witch School, and that is a milestone in itself. Today Mike Ferrell, Lindsay Irvin, and Charlynn Walls are leading the School into a new era. This is exciting and important in more ways than one, because it is the ability of an organization to continue beyond its founders that truly speaks to its ability to move into the future. I am very proud of Mike, Lindsay, and Charlynn and I could not be more pleased to see their success in leading the Witch School organization forward.

The other important change that I reflect on this year is one that is launching only now. After many years I have at last completed the video version of our First Degree Lessons. As you may know, the earlier form of these First Degree videos, of which only the first few lessons were completed, have been our most popular offerings at Magick TV. Two years ago we decided to reboot and refilm the Lesson Videos in High Definition, with lots of animation and live action portrayals of the various spells and techniques, as well as a great deal of original artwork and photo-collage. I am pleased to say that this project is now finally ready to launch on this Thirteenth Anniversary of Witch School.

Why video lessons? I feel that video has an immediacy that the written word sometimes lacks, a greater sense of personal connection. Also, video allows the visual demonstration of the subjects being taught. In these videos I have made extensive use of animation to depict uses of energy and energy constructs , techniques of ritual and spell work, and especially of visualization, that I feel will be greatly helpful to the student.

I am also grateful to those Temples where filming took place including the Temple of the Celtic Cross, Pennsylvania, the Temple of the Children of Gaia, Florida, The Temple of the Clan of Kheper, Capetown, South Africa, the Temple of the PURE Sanctuary, Danville, Illinois, as well as other locations including the St. Louis Pagan Picnic. Because of the help and support of these people, as well as the support of many others never seen onscreen (notably M. Rev. Traci Logan Wood, Rev. Gwen Mycroft, and Mr. Tony Packery), and above all the long term support of Witch School, these lessons are not only available but also as inclusive and diverse as is our international family itself.

The videos will be available to supporting students, and will also later be available for sale. I think that you will find that this format adds an entirely new dimension to the material, and I hope that you will be as excited about them as I am.

And so, thirteen years on, Witch School is becoming more exciting than ever with the advent of video classes. And yet I know the best is yet to come, for we will never stop working to grow and improve this system -the world's most accessible metaphysical education platform. Continue the journey with us and you will be amazed by what is yet to come.

Blessings to all!Rev. Don Lewis

With those words of praise and vision we welcome you all to the 13th year of Witch School. We look forward to making this one of the best years yet, with many more great years to come.